Love Is A Four Letter Word
by Blondie B. Happy
Summary: It is the small moments that count. Those moments when no one is watching, and they can just immerse themselves in one another like they're the only people in the world. Love, life, death, betrayal; it's a never ending cycle, but somehow, they always manage to meet. This is the many different lives, encounters, and wonders of Percy and Annabeth.
1. A is for Absolutely

**Chapter 1:** A is for Absolutely

**Style:** AU (Alternate Universe) and AH (All-Human)

**POV:** Percy, 1st Person

**Summary:** All he wanted to do was ask her out? Was that so hard? Actually, it was harder than it seemed.

* * *

So, this is my very stupid, idiotic attempt to ask out the girl of my dreams.

"Hey Annabeth!" I called from across the hallway. She turned around. Her blonde curls bobbed and her gray eyes were piercing. She was standing with her locker opened up so that I could see her perfectly organized books and papers.

My eye wandered to my own locker. The papers were falling out to my feet and I was missing two textbooks. There was something green on the door and an odd substance was dripping from the top of it.

I shut it quickly and turned back to look at her. She looked like a princess. She said something to our friend Thalia and crossed the hall to me. "Hey, Percy. What's up?"

"Well," I started. Nice job, Perce, I told myself. I was actually able to make a sound. Her hair smelled like lemon. I probably smelled like the gym locker room. Before I was too scared, I said, "Will you-"

The bell rang twice. Time for third period. I silently cursed everything and everyone (excluding Annabeth, of course).

Annabeth shrugged like 'What are you going to do about it?' I sighed. She said, "I'll talk to you after class." And she was off, walking down the hallway with Thalia by her side again. I tried not to stare at her, but Thalia turned around and stuck out her tongue at me. She obviously knew exactly what I was trying to do. Well, of course she did. She'd been teasing us for our entire lives.

I rolled my eyes. She was usually like that.

My friend Grover came up and clapped me on the shoulder. "Love sucks," he laughed, but in a nice way. His legs were wobbling back and forth.

Grover and I had a long history. We'd been friends for years. I'd known him longer than I'd known Annabeth and all of my other friends. If I ever needed anything, I usually went to him. We gave each other advice that 99 percent of the time did not work.

Some of the popular girls walked past me. I was hit with a waft of perfume and whipped by someone's brown hair. Who knew hair actually hurt? My cheek stung like hell after that. Someone had their iPhone out, and it was blasting some annoying pop song.

The sick part was that no teacher would ever catch them, where as I would be stuck in detention for the rest of my life. The only nice girl in their group, Silena Beauregard, who dated our friend Charles Beckendorf, waved at us as she turned down the hallway. They even had the exact same classes! It was insane.

"Come on, Perce," said Grover, tugging on my shoulder. I followed him down the hallway and up the stairs. The late bell rang. Of course.

Grover and I were in eighth grade. We were top of the pack. It was kind of fun to scare the little sixth graders. A few of them were still lost in the hallways, and the year was already halfway over. When they saw us, they scurried away in their pink Sketchers and sparkly tops.

I laughed a little bit at that. When we got to math, the door was already opened. Our teacher, Mrs. Dodds, who hates my guts, had the door open for us. Everyone stared as Grover and I took our seats in the back of the room.

Dodds didn't seem to even care today. She did, however, say, "If you have another tardy, you both have a week to detention. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," we answered from our seats. Grover took out his textbook, and since I was missing mine, I just took out a piece of paper and kept glancing over at his.

Mrs. Dodds taught algebra and regular math. Annabeth was in the algebra class. I was in regular.

"Okay, so we are going to start doing slope today, class. The easiest way to find slope is with slope-intercept form, which is…"

My mind kind of went blank after that. Her words just kept going on and on. I rested my head in my hands and kept my eyes focused on the board like I was listening, and sometimes nodding my head up and down.

I was actually thinking about Annabeth and what I would say to her. I tried different things in my mind, but they all seemed so stupid. How was I supposed to ask her out? Maybe I would wait until tomorrow. That suddenly seemed like a good idea.

"Mr. Jackson." The stern voice brought me back to reality. I looked into the teachers eyes. She seemed annoyed.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Would you care to come up to the board and explain problem number six?" It wasn't a question. She hissed it like a monster. Well, she already was a monster, so...

Everyone is staring at me again. My eyes snapped to the clock. Half of the period was already over, and I didn't know a single thing that she was talking about. I gulped and stood, snatching Grover's book. He didn't even protest.

Her eyes were piercing the back of my head as I looked at the question and began to write is down on the board. It was: y=1/2x+8. What the heck were y and x supposed to stand for? And what was I even supposed to do with the equation? Graph it? Solve it? Both?

I turned around. Everyone was still looking at me. My face got hot. I tried to read the directions at the top of the page, but they looked like alphabet soup. I hated having dyslexia so much that it wasn't even funny. And my ADHD was acting up.

"I'm not sure how to find the answer, ma'am," I told her sheepishly. She glared at me and motioned for me to return to my seat. I tossed Grover his book and ended up hitting him in the head. Oops.

"Would anyone else like to try the problem?" No one volunteered. "Very well, then." She proceeded to make a function table and multiply all of the numbers so that there were an input and output. When she was done, I'd had no idea what had even happened.

Thankfully, the bell rang for fourth period. Everyone jumped to their feet, but Mrs. Dodds screeched, "Sit back down or I will keep you all here for the rest of the day!" I think I was the first person back in my seat.

"Your homework is page 85, one through sixty all. I expect everyone to come to school tomorrow with it finished and ready as a test grade." All of the students moaned, but the teacher was looking at me as she said it. This was only a punishment for me, and I didn't even have a textbook. I almost yelled out, Go ahead and fail me! But the teacher waved her hands, and we all ran out of the classroom.

Grover started stuttering. "D-d-dude, t-that was really s-stupid. N-now we all have to do that w-work." He looked like he was going to strangle himself. I put a hand on his shoulder, and he nodded. He relaxed and tried to calm down.

"Don't worry, you're smart enough," I told him. "It's me who should be worried. I swear I'm going to fail the grade."

Grover didn't even correct me. "Thanks, G-Man," I said sarcastically. He protested, trying to say something, but I left him and headed toward Latin. It was the one class that I had with Annabeth, and I was definitely going to ask her if it was the last thing I did.

I darted through the different hallways until I saw her.

Annabeth was talking casually next to the water fountain with her friend, Juniper. Grover had a huge crush on Juniper. Everyone usually made fun of her. She was kind of like the hippie chick. She wore flare jeans and tie-die shirt and was always going on about World Peace and Save the Pandas and Hug a Tree and things like that. Parts of her hair were streaked green. She was, actually, very pretty.

Juniper noticed me first. "Hey Percy." Annabeth turned around and smiled. My heart did a tap dance.

"Hey Juniper. And hey to you again Annabeth."

"It looks like we meet again, Percy," laughed Annabeth, flashing her perfect white teeth. She was being nicer to me than she usually was. I wonder why? Most of the time, she was making fun of me, or correcting and scolding me, but we always had fun together.

"So, what were you trying to say before?" she asked me.

"Um, well, I wanted to ask you something…" She nodded and waited. I looked at Juniper. "Um, alone…"

Someone behind me whistled. I whipped around Thalia was walking by, chuckling softly. She whistled again. "You two are so cute when you flirt." I wasn't sure who was blushing the hardest.

I almost said some choice words to Thalia, but she was gone. Juniper backed away. "Well, I'll just leave you guys here… alone… in the hallway…" She swiftly left us, and I almost said some choice words to her too.

"Ha ha, very funny. Now what was it you wanted to ask me? We're alone now." Actually we weren't some of the seventh graders were lingering by the bathrooms, clearly eavesdropping on our conversation. I fixed my green eyes on the group of girls and guys. They looked at me, and then held their hands over their mouths and walked away.

Was it the funny? "Um, well, we've been friends for a while now…" Oh, very smooth, Percy.

"Um, yeah," she answered, nodding. She looked really confused, which was a really weird look on her, as she never got confused. It looked a lot better on me, since I always was.

"I was wondering, would you-" The freaking bell rang, again.

"Come on, Percy. We'll be late to class." She tugged on my arm, and for a second I was still so shocked that I let her, but then I pulled her back.

"Will you go out with me?" I blurted, then mentally slapped myself. Yeah, smooth Percy.

She looked seriously shocked. "Never mind," I told her, shaking my hands back and forth. "You don't have to answer that. I'll just-"

"Absolutely," she told me with the biggest, most beautiful smile ever. She kissed me on the cheek quickly and then pulled me through the hallway. "But first, we will actually get to class so that we can go out. How about tonight?"

I couldn't even answer. I let her pull me along. It looks like my terrible attempt actually paid off. My cheek was still tingling from the kiss. And she'd said t hat we should go out tonight. She didn't turn me down!

I was going to do my homework and not get detention, I swore to myself. I'd do anything if it meant more time with Annabeth.

* * *

**Hey! So, let me explain this. The story will be a series of one-shots, surrounding the life of Percy and Annabeth. Each chapter will have it's own style, (Either AU, AH, or Book-Based), It's POV (Percy or Annabeth) and it's own summary, so you don't get confused. These are for when I'm bored, and they will be fluffy. I hope you enjoy this story!**

**-BBH**


	2. B is for Brainiac

**Chapter 2:** B is for Brainiac

**Style:** Book-Based

**POV:** Annabeth, 1st person

**Summary: **Annabeth is pretty smart. How long will it take for Percy to find that out? *Major Fluffiness Warning*

* * *

"I don't understand," Percy groaned. "How can someone be this smart?"

We were sitting inside of a Sbarro, each of us with a slice of pizza. Mine was covered in olives and vegetables, while Percy had stuck with the classic meat lovers. We were taking up a whole lot of room with our textbooks and bags and food. Since Percy and I went to different schools, we liked to meet up sometimes and do homework.

Actually, it was more like Percy complaining and me ending up doing it all for him. I still don't understand how he couldn't understand some of that stuff. Pythagorean theorem… please. I did that when I was a baby. But he still struggles with it. He hasn't even gotten into statistics and calculus yet.

"I'm a daughter of Athena, Percy. It's in my blood… or rather, my head." I smiled at him and flipped my hair over my shoulder. It was getting in the way of my homework. "Now, what about this don't you understand?"

"Everything." I could've guessed that.

"Okay, now I'm going to explain it to you. It's very easy. The equation is A squared plus B squared equals C squared-"

"What the heck do A, B, and C even stand for? I thought I was doing math, not English!"

"You are doing math. They're just variables. A and B stand for the base and height of your triangle. C is the hypotenuse. Let's say you have A being 5 and B being 7. You square both of those, which gives you 25 and 49. Add them together and you get 74. Then you find the square root of 74, which is…" I typed it into my calculator. "8.60232… you get the idea, right?"

I looked up at my boyfriend. He was just staring at me with blank eyes. I snapped my fingers in front of his nose. He shook his head. "Sorry, what was that?"

I sighed. "Did you even hear a single word I just said?"

Percy's shoulder's tensed. He was getting defensive. "Or course I heard you."

"Okay, then what was I just saying?"

Percy's eyes shot down to his paper. I couldn't wait to see how he answered this. "Well, um, you were talking about letters and the number 5?" he tried, raising his shoulders in a shrug.

"You need to learn how to concentrate better," I scolded.

My boyfriend rolled his eyes and kissed me on the cheek. "It's not my fault I can't concentrate. I was too busy looking at my beautiful girlfriend to hear what she was saying."

I felt my face flush, and I pushed him back. "Whatever, Seaweed Brain. One time, what I'm saying is going to me really important, and something bad is going to happen because you've 'zoned out' studying your 'beautiful girlfriend'. You need to start paying more attention. You'll get kicked out of your school."

"Nah, Paul has me covered. I think he'll keep me there."

"Paul can only be an influence for so long. I bet he'll kick you out soon if you keep not doing your homework and skipping class. I'm not always going to be here to do all of your work Percy."

"I know," Percy sighed. "But still, how can someone be as smart as you? I'm just a little curious. Even your brothers and sisters aren't like you."

"Some people actually like to learn Percy. I happen to be one of them. You should want to learn. There are some things that will just blow your mind. Like, did you know that it takes more muscles to frown that it does to smile?"

"Doesn't everyone know that? My mom stresses that to me constantly."

"Hm, did you know that the app store one sold an 'I Am Rich' app that cost 999.99 dollars and did absolutely nothing?"

"No way." Percy laughed. "Who would buy something like that? I mean, besides Aphrodite or Ares or Zeus? Actually, besides most of the gods, since they have all of the money that they need."

"I know. Did you know that 'Sahara' is an Arabic word that can be translated and literally means 'desert'? So the Sahara Desert actually means the Desert Desert."

Percy chuckled. "Wow. Tell me more. If I just say random facts, maybe I'll actually sound like I know something."

"Actually, people hate it when people say random facts. I went through a phase of doing this when I little, and my stepmother hated it. I think she even grounded me a few time for doing it." I shivered at the memory. My stepmother and I had a complicated past, but things were getting better now.

"Well then. Are you going to finish that?" Percy pointed at my half eaten piece of pizza.

"Here" I handed it to him and in about ten seconds, the pizza had disappeared. Percy's lip curled. "I'm not the biggest fan of olives and green peppers, but that was okay. Are we going to get anymore?"

"Let's go." I pushed all of my books into my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I was going to stop at Percy's before going back to my boarding school. Percy looked down at his unfinished homework. His face turned red when he saw my smirk, but he put his books into his own bag and stood up.

Taking my hand, he led me out of the fast food place and we started to walk down the street. Tons of people milled around us. A policeman talked to his wrist (there was probably a comms unit there). An old lady walked by, mumbling to herself about her cat. I even saw a few nymphs, running to their trees.

Percy and I made small talk. The streets smelled disgusting, people cussed, but hey, it was the city. I was glad to be with Percy and not in California. A long distance relationship with him would not have been fun.

After about twenty minutes, we came upon Percy's apartment; he led me up the stairs and into his home. "Mom, we're home!" he called into the house.

"I'm in the kitchen. I'll be out in a sec," she called back. We walked into the living room. Paul was sitting in their, scratching his beard and reading the New York Times. He looked up when he heard our footsteps. His eyes shown.

"Well, if it isn't Percy's little girlfriend," he said. Percy blushed, embarrassed. It was all I could do not to laugh. "It's nice to see you again, Annabeth."

"Same to you, Paul," I replied. I'd only met Paul on a handful of occasions. The first time I met him was after the battle on Olympus. He had kicked some serious monster butt with a sword. He wasn't half bad for a mortal.

"Come sit down. Is there anything you want to watch?" he asked politely. Percy groaned a little bit. I could tell he wanted Paul to stop bothering us, but I thought it was kind of funny. I hit him lightly on the arm.

He looked at me. "What?" he whispered.

I rolled my eyes and started a conversation with Paul on foreign affairs, just to get Percy aggravated. This went on for a couple of minutes, and Percy just sat next to me, not sure what in the world we were talking about. I could see it in his green eyes.

"Maybe I'll just call you braniac from now on," he said as Paul went to the bathroom.

"Fine by me," I told him, and Sally walked in not a second later.

Sally Jackson was like a second mother to me. She had been for years. Percy didn't realize how perfect he had it with his mom. I would die to have someone like her in my family. But she had assured me that if I ever needed anything that I could just stop by.

She gave me a hug and said that I looked great, which was a lie considering my hair was a rat's nest and my clothes were old and wrinkled. But I thanked her anyway. "Dinner's ready, if you're hungry. You're welcome to stay."

"Thanks, but Percy and I just had pizza, I'm fine."

"Okay, well…"

"Sally, do you mind if Percy drives me back to my school. It's a pretty long walk."

"Not at all. You better leave now. Percy, I'll leave you some food in the fridge."

"Thanks, mom." I said my goodbyes and pulled Percy out of his house. He eyed me cautiously. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" I asked innocently.

"Get adults to do whatever you ask. I mean, really, it's a pretty long walk? It's thirty minutes, and you walk that long every day."

"Well, you call me braniac for a reason." I smiled and pressed my lips to his. He opened the door to his car and then hopped in on his side.

"So, are we really going back to your school…?"

I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a long, deep kiss. I think that shut him up.

* * *

**Ha... I just wanted to write something like this rather than do homework:) Hope you liked. Review!**

**-BBH**


	3. C is for Collide

**Chapter 3**: C is for Collide

**Style:** Book-based, Songfic

**POV:** Annabeth, 1st person

**Summary:** Who knew Percy could sing and play the guitar like a sexy beast? The beautiful song is **Collide by Howie Day.** *Major Fluff Warning. It was almost too much for me to write without getting overly giddy.*

* * *

Percy pulled out his guitar and strummed a few cords, then smiled to himself and leaned back on his hands. He patted the space on his bed next to him. "Come on, Annabeth, sit down. I want you to hear a song."

"You sing?" I wasn't sure that I had heard him correctly. Suddenly, a very funny picture of Percy covered in make up with too-tight pants on and screaming girls all around him invaded my mind, and I smiled despite of myself.

He raised an eyebrow. "I know. I'm the triple threat. I'm funny, I can fight, and I can sing."

"I feel so special." I rolled my eyes and walked forward taking the seat next to him. He put an arm around my waist and pulled right up against his side, forcing my head to bend down on the crook of his shoulder like I would see in crazy Nicholas Sparks movies.

"Now, this is better, isn't it?" Percy asked in a semi-seductive voice that made me want to get up and roll around on the floor laughing. He smiled too. "Wow, I can't believe I just said that."

"I wish I had recorded the moment. 'Percy Jackson says something stupid.' Oh wait, he's always like that." I nudged his side, and he nudged me back, and we went into a nudging/wrestling/poking war for a few minutes, to which we both won and lost some.

I wasn't even supposed to be in his cabin. It was the middle of the night, and the Harpies were patrolling outside. My brothers and sisters had no idea that I was with Percy, and if they did, they would probably start to question whether or not I was actually a daughter of Athena. Plus, it was against the rules for two demigods with different parents to be alone in a cabin together... but I really didn't care enough to follow that rule.

When we finished, he pulled me back to his side and positioned his guitar in front of him again. "So, are you ready to hear the song?" he asked.

"Oh gods, are you going to serenade me?" I asked nervously, hoping that my face wasn't as red as I thought it was.

"Possibly," he admitted. "And before you ask, no, I did not write the song. I'm definitely not creative enough to do something like that. But I hope you will like the song all the same?" He took a deep breath and kissed me quickly on the cheek, then started to play his guitar with long, careful strokes.

**The dawn is breaking  
A light shining through  
You're barely waking  
And I'm tangled up in you**

Okay, I think I've officially died a little bit inside. Percy's voice was smooth, rich, and surprisingly very, very sexy. I was definitely blushing. My face probably was probably the color of one of the Aphrodite girls when they tried to tan but forgot to put on sunscreen. In other words very red.

**I'm open, you're closed  
Where I follow, you'll go  
I worry I won't see your face  
Light up again**

I want to stop him for some reason. I felt embarrassed, even though we were completely alone in his cabin. And at the same time, I had never felt happier. This is one of the sweetest things that anyone had ever done for me.

I buried my face into his shoulder and smiled. I wrapped my arms around him and snuggled up to him. I think he smiled, but he didn't stop the song. He continued into the chorus of the song.

**Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme  
Out of the doubt that fills my mind  
I somehow find  
You and I collide**

I'd heard the song before, I realized. They played it all the time on the radio. It was so beautiful. I couldn't believe that Percy had actually heard the song too. I never heard Percy listen to any music. Sure, he made fun of it sometimes, but I hadn't considered that he liked music.

Nor did I consider that he could sing or play the guitar so well.

**I'm quiet you know  
You make a first impression  
I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind**

Okay, I'll admit that I laughed inwardly at that. He's not very quiet.  
**  
Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the stars refuse to shine  
Out of the back you fall in time  
I somehow find  
You and I collide**

I was almost ready to start singing the song along with him. All of the lyrics started to come back into my mind from years ago when I was younger, sitting in the car with my dad and singing the song with him.

But Percy's voice was too perfect, and the song was too perfect, and I just couldn't bring myself to. Percy then reached the bridge of the song. His fingers were still switching between the cords like he had been playing the guitar his entire life.

**Don't stop here  
I lost my place  
I'm close behind**

And then it went back to the wonderful chorus.

**Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme  
Out of the doubt that fills your mind  
You finally find  
You and I collide**

I put my head up for the last few words of the song, humming along and tapping my foot to the beat of the words. My head started going back and forth, remembering the 'Do-do-do's' in the original song. Percy wasn't singing that part.

**You finally find  
You and I collide  
You finally find  
You and I collide**

Percy set the guitar down and smiled. "Tada!" he said, giving me jazz hands. I tackled him down onto his bed and kissed him over and over again. I drowned myself in the kiss. I felt myself get lost in the feeling of his arms around me and our legs tangled and my hands in his hair and our lips touching over and over again.

He grinned against my lips and slid his fingers into my hair, entwining his fingers in my blonde locks. I clasped my hands around the back of his neck and drew him into me. I didn't even allow him to take a breath, and considering he had just finished a song, he was probably out of oxygen.

Finally, Percy eased himself away from me. "Well, if I had known you were going to do that, I would've sung a song for you a long time ago."

I allowed him to sit up. "So, do you know Wonderwall by Oasis, or Fix You by Coldplay, or Meet Virginia by Train or-?"

He motioned me to stop, and then pointed at his guitar. "Hand me the guitar and prepare to be blown away by my awesomeness."

* * *

**It was originally going to be 'C is for Call Me Maybe', but then this song came on and I was like, "PERCABETH!" Sorry for Typos! Review!**

**-BBH**


	4. D is for Dams

**Chapter 4**: D is for Dams

**Style**: Book-Based

**POV**: Percy, 3rd person

**Summary**: Dams… the title is as legit as it gets. It's corny and has excessive uses of the word 'dam'.

* * *

"So, we're at the Hoover Dam, why?" Annabeth asked as Percy guided her through a swarm of people that were closing in on them from all sides. Percy smiled brightly and decided to not answer her question. He just gripped her hand tighter.

She rolled her eyes at him, and his smile got even bigger. He tugged her along through the crowd.

They bumped into a couple, and even though they both laughed, the couple shot glares at them. They had a little kid with them who was now sprawled on the ground, looking up at them like _What'd I do to get thrown down here?_

That made Percy laughed even harder, but Annabeth sobered up immediately. "I am so sorry," she tried to say to them, holding her hands out in innocence. Percy's stomach was hurting from laughing so much.

Of course, it was really immature. They were both in their mid twenties, taking time off from college to go on a trip to Nevada. Annabeth had wanted to go back to Las Vegas for a little bit, but of course, nowhere near the Lotus Hotel and Casino. They were actually staying at the MGM, which they both loved for all of the shows, amenities, and animals.

But Percy had decided to go to Nevada for an entirely different reason. He wasn't feeling sentimental… but still, Annabeth hadn't been with him when he had come there in the past.

Now, he just had to wait for the perfect moment for a person to say those right words, and the jokes would commence. Maybe this angry couple would start that, and they would totally regret it, but Percy wouldn't.

And then the angry man said it. "Damn you."

Annabeth's cheeks reddened and she looked so embarrassed. A few people had stopped to stare at them. The little kid was crying now because his dad had used a cuss word. It was going crazy.

So Percy, fell onto the ground, near the little kid (who jumped out of the way and screamed something about terrorists) and laughed until his throat was sore and at least twenty people were staring at him as if he had a mental disease.

Annabeth had a horrified expression on her face. She was shaking her head and pulling Percy back up off of the ground. "What is wrong with you?" she whispered/yelled in his ear, and he shook his head because words weren't really coming to him.

His girlfriend looked back at the couple with sympathy in her eyes. "I am so sorry about my boyfriend's behavior."

The looks on the couple's faces were priceless. "That guy needs to go on some serious medication," she growled, pointing at him.

"Damn you all, you worthless spring breakers," he yelled over the roar of the crowd. His threat didn't even make sense, since it was the summer, but they got the gist of it. "You need to leave our children alone."

"You said it again!" Percy cried, wiping tears of joy from his face.

The little kid was bawling and hugging his mom's knees, and the mom was trying to shush him. Percy looked around and saw some of the tourists taking pictures of them and videotaping the breakdown at the Hoover Dam.

Percy hadn't even realized that Annabeth was pulling him away from the scene. She darted them around the corner at sprinting speed. Some of the ignorant people asked questions, but neither of them said anything as they tried to get away from them. He could still hear the crying kid, distraught mother, and cursing father.

When Annabeth finally stopped him, she put her finger in his face. "What was all of that about?" she demanded, her tone so angry that Percy was sure she would pull her knife out on him.

"That was the reason that I took you to the Hoover Dam!" he clarified gleefully.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, why don't we go to the dam snack bar and talk it out," he suggested giddily, snickering to himself. Annabeth shot him a weird look, all of her anger gone like she didn't know what to feel anymore.

Finally, she shrugged and they walked over to the snack bar. No one was watching them, but Percy wished that the mad couple and their child would be in there. He almost wished that a monster would appear, just so that he could freak them out.

Once they were sitting at a table, Percy began to tell her the full version of what had happened while she had been held by the Titans when they'd been fourteen. Not only that, but he told her the full version of their 'dam' problem.

"So, you all had a dam problem?" she asked again, tapping her fingers against his wrist. He nodded. "Then why did I only hear about it now?"

"Well, I wanted you to have the full effect of the place when you heard," he admitted, gesturing to the dam around them.

He picked at his nachos and said, "These dam nachos are awesome."

Annabeth cracked a smile. "I want to buy a dam t-shirt," she joked, trying it out for the first time.

"That's what she said," Percy laughed cracking up and slapping the table with his free hand. The person at the table next to him shot him an evil look.

Annabeth looked at him now lie he was disgusting. "You're so gross."

Then he realized what he had said. "No I didn't mean it like that!" he said waving his hands. "I meant, that's what Thalia had said when we were here. She said that she wanted to buy a dam t-shirt!"

"Oh. Good," she said, sighing and ate a nacho. "Well, we aren't doing a dam thing right now, so why don't we just go out and look at the awesome view?" She stood up and outstretched her hand, and Percy took it.

Someone behind them coughed, and he turned around. The unhappy couple and their child were looking at them, and the child's eyes were swollen and red. "What's your dam problem?" Percy said, but in a happy not accusing voice. Annabeth didn't get mad at him that time.

"There are children here," the man spat at them as their child started to cry again. The sound echoed around them and he groaned.

"Well, in that case," Percy started, and he pulled Annabeth in for a long kiss, right in front of them. When they broke apart, the kid was making an appalled face.

"Ewwww!" the child screamed turning away from them and running away from his parents. The mother called out but the child continued to run, and soon the mom and dad were both chasing their son.

"Dam…" Percy said slowly, but he smiled. "I didn't expect the kid to do that."

And then they laughed at the dam irony of it all.

* * *

**Happy St. Patrick's Day! Please check out and ****review ****my new story, ****Hell and Silence****. It would mean a lot!**

**-BBH**


	5. E is for EXCEPTIONAL!

**Chapter 5:** E is for EXCEPTIONAL!

**Style:** Book-Based

**POV:** Percy, 1st Person

**Summary:** Percy is forced to watch A.N.T. Farm with Annabeth's little brothers, and he can't get the song out of his head. In other words, I'm out of ideas but needed to update.

* * *

"Annabeth, you better be glad that I love you," I grumbled at her.

Her younger half-brothers, Matthew and Bobby, were pretty much running around me in circles. We were in her house in San Francisco, and her dad and stepmom were out for a date night. I wished that I was with Annabeth on date night more than anything.

But no. Just because I'm a good person and really didn't want her parents to kick me out of their house, I agreed to stay and babysit her brothers while they were out. I was really, really, glad that I was an only child.

"Now you know how I feel," Annabeth yelled back at me from the kitchen. She was trying to fix them a snack, but the twins were such picky eaters that I wouldn't be surprised if they just threw it back at her face.

How was she able to live with this?

Okay, that was a stupid question. She didn't really live with them. She lived in New York with me at her boarding school, and then during the summer she usually spent her time at Camp Half-Blood.

If I had been her, I would've run away sooner if I had had to put up with this crap. I was surprised that she hadn't already taken a knife to their throats and… Whoa, there Percy. Bad thoughts… These are your girlfriends brothers.

I took a deep breath and glanced down at the two kids. They were thumb wrestling each other. "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!" Then they let loose battle cries that would've put Tyson to shame. And started kicking each other rather than wrestling.

If I had ever been like that, then I was sorry to my mother for having to put up with me.

"Bobby, Matthew's face is not a vault!" I tried to yell at him as they toppled around the ground and nearly took out a painting on the wall. Something was going to break soon, no doubt.

"Matthew, don't kick Bobby_ there_!" I protested. They both stopped for a second and considered me. Everything got really quiet, like a battle had just happened. Their eyes were round and judging, but they blew me off like I was dust and went back to their fighting.

Thank the gods that they weren't demigods, because one or both of them would've ended up in the infirmary. And since they weren't demigods, I could only hope that they would never get hold of real weapons.

Annabeth came out of the kitchen with a tray of PB&J sandwiches and juice boxes. She pressed quick kiss to my cheek before setting it down on the coffee table. Matthew and Bobby ran over and began to happily munch on their sandwiches. They discarded the empty boxes to the ground when they were done.

My girlfriend sighed and picked them up. She looked worn out like she was the parent, or like a single mom that had just gotten home from work. She rubbed her face with her hands. "Why can't our lives ever be easy?"

"Because that would just be wrong."

"I know, right?"

"If fact, I think this may be the hardest thing we have ever done. This totally beats fighting the Titans and whatnot." I smiled at her and she gave me a very weak one in return. She cracked her neck and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Ouch…" she trailed off. "Everything hurts."

I put my hands onto her shoulders and pressed down gently until she was sitting on the couch. Then I turned her away from me and pressed my fingers into her shoulder blades. I rubbed them around in small, soothing circles.

She groaned and said, "That feels nice."

I pressed a kiss to her pulse. The moment would've been just perfect…

… Until her little half-brothers ruined it.

"WE WANT TO WATCH SPONGEBOB!" They started screaming over and over again. I muttered a curse and Annabeth nudged me. I shrugged. What was done was done and I couldn't take it back now.

Annabeth snatched the remote from the crack in the couch and switched the TV on. She scrolled from Dr. Oz to Nickelodeon to see what was on. No Spongebob Squarepants was on; it was The Fairly Odd Parents.

"It's not on," she told them. "But Fairly Odd Parents is-"

"No!" they yelled at her, and she flipped through the stations again. They were too old to watch Blue's Clues and way too young to watch American Horror Story, which is what Annabeth and I wanted to watch. They refused to watch Wheel of Fortune or Dragon Ball Z, and Mad Men was also out of question. There was literally nothing on.

Annabeth flipped to Disney Channel, because everything on there was usually clean for kids to watch. A.N.T. Farm was on. In my experience, everything on Disney was exactly the same and really annoying, but the boys didn't disagree to the show, so we turned it on.

The show had only just started when we turned it on, and Matthew jumped in between Annabeth and I on the couch, and Bobby got onto my other side. I was trapped.

I looked to Annabeth for help, but she scooted away from us with the biggest smile on her face. That made the entire situation worth it, but I still didn't want to be near them. One of them farted, and I gagged loudly.

The theme song or whatever it's called came on, and apparently Matthew and Bobby had heard the song before because they sang along loudly.

_"We got it, we got it  
You can dream it, you can be it  
If you can feel it, you can believe it  
Cause I am, you are, we are  
Exceptional, exceptional  
Yeah I am, you are, we are  
Exceptional, exceptional"_

That song would never, ever be out of my head.

The horror.

The rest of the show continued and the boys watched, barely talking, which was nice. But the entire time, I couldn't even watch the bad humor; I was singing that song in my head. My freaking foot was even tapping. I wanted to shoot myself or hit my head against all wall over and over again.

When the show was over, Matthew and Bobby ran into their room to get something, and Annabeth turned to me. "Hey, are you okay?"

"No."

She laughed at me again. "Why? Was it the show?"

"Just the song."

But what was done was done and nothing could change it now. She shrugged, smiled at me, and walked away, leaving me with the terrible tunes inside of my head.

If Annabeth and I ever got married (not if... when), I would seriously be cautious about having kids. I wasn't sure how parents handled this kind of stuff.

But that would be a conversation for another day.

* * *

**Not really romantic but sweet, I guess. A little humorous… I tried. Read my other stories please, and REVIEW!**

**-BBH**_  
_


	6. F is for Fate

**Chapter 6**: F is for Fate

**Style: **AU, AH

**POV: **Annabeth, 3rd person, Present Tense

**Summary**: Fate predicted their meeting long ago, and while she stands on the street, wishing she were home, their paths may just cross. This is short, but it, personally, is my favorite one-shot yet.

* * *

_~Our lives are made in these small hours,  
These little wonders, these twists and turns of fate.  
Time falls away, but these small hours,  
These small hours still remain~_

_~Little Wonders by Rob Thomas~_

* * *

She stands on the side of the road, trying to cross, but knows that this is going to take a long, long time.

Cars zoom past her and blow her hair around her face. She groans and wishes that she were still at home, under her covers, lost in her beautiful dreams that are always cut too short.

Dreams are the best parts of her life, because that is when she can lose herself to her own mind, make creations that no one would ever dare think of. Dreams are special because the weirdest of things can happen. They are the only thing that makes her think that each day is worth living, because she can dream of what might happen.

All of her friends abandoned her after college, so she remains alone in her own little world. She falls headfirst into her work now, consumed in the stocks and finishing her work to get a PhD in the medical fields. She has a successful life, but it is a lonely one.

When will the cars stop coming? When will the light change to red and allow her to cross?

She glances at her watch and sighs. She is going to be late, and her boss is going to be furious with her. As a matter of fact, she is supposed to be at work in two minutes, as it is 7:58. And the light refuses to turn for her. She shakes her head. Was this karma or something like that which she didn't believe it?

Two minutes doesn't give her any room to go to Starbucks and get some coffee. She'll have to skip breakfast and probably lunch because her boss will be constantly yelling at her. Heck, maybe she should just screw work for a day and tour around New York City.

She's lived in New York City for two months but still has yet to go to Times Square or the Statue of Liberty. She has yet to go to a Broadway musical or eat at Carnegie Hall. She hasn't been to Macy's or even the American Girl Doll store. She works full time and keeps to herself. She had never had a boyfriend before and only dreams of the idea.

At 7:59, the light changes, and she, along with the many others who have already gotten their coffee and muffins and are talking on their phones, crosses the street.

Perhaps it is fate that causes the next series of events to happen, but a man runs up behind her. He must not be looking to where he is going, because he crashes right into Annabeth and sends them both spiraling to the ground in a whirl of sweat, clothes, briefcases, and high heels.

She barely manages to catch herself. Her nose ends up not an inch away from the ground. No one stops to help either of them. Instead, they just pass on by as if nothing has happened, lost in their little worlds.

Annabeth jumps to her feet and brushes herself off, then turns around to see the man the bumped into her still on the ground, a smile across his face. He climbs to his feet and looks at her. "Are you okay?" he asks with true concern in his eyes. They are bright green. His hair is midnight black and sticking up in all different directions. He wears a normal t shirt and running shorts. He must've been out for a jog. The smile is still there though.

"I'm fine," she answers with a shrug of her shoulders. "I mean, I suppose I've had better mornings."

"I wish I could say the same," he tells her. "It's not every morning I literally knock into beautiful women."

This makes her blush bright red. The feelings zooms through her body when she realizes how long it has been since someone has openly complimented her. They stand there, smiling at each other in the middle of the road.

Car horns start honking.

Annabeth spins around and looks at the virtual sign. Oh, it already turned. The cars are supposed to be going now, and Annabeth and this man are blocking their way.

Quickly, they make their way to the other side of the road. "I'm sorry for running into you. Can I… buy you coffee or something to make up for it?"

She blinks. "I don't even know who you are." But she really wants to. It's not every day that handsome men knock her down on the middle of the streets. She should be mad at him. She should be walking away from him. But she's drawn to him for some reason. Is it fate? She doesn't believe in corny things like that.

"I'm Percy. I like to jog. I like coffee," he informs her. "So, do you have to get to work or will you get some coffee with me? I mean, if you have to go to work then I won't hold you up anymore. But I love lattes and brownies. I'll buy."

She looks down at her phone for a second.

8:01.

She's late.

"Sure," she agrees. Because she doesn't feel like going to work just to be yelled at. She'd much rather spend her time with this man named Percy who would like to buy her a cup of coffee.

Maybe this was all fated to happen.

But then again, she doesn't believe in fate.

* * *

**Sorry for it being so short, but I was listening to the song Little Wonders, and I had to write something. I was going to do a separate one-shot, but I really wanted and needed to update this story. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'll try to make the next one longer. Review please!**

**-BBH**


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